NBA Revenue Projected to Reach $14.3 Billion for 2025-26 Season
The NBA season is off to a hot start with thrilling close games and soaring TV viewership under the league’s new media partnerships. According to forecasts shared with team owners in September, the NBA’s projected revenue for the 2025-26 season is expected to hit $14.3 billion, marking a 12% increase from last season’s $12.75 billion.
These figures include league and team revenues but exclude income from non-NBA events such as concerts or arena rentals. The NBA declined to comment on the internal financial projections.
$76 Billion Media Deal Drives Financial Surge
The league’s impressive growth is largely fueled by its 11-year, $76 billion media rights agreement. This landmark deal increases each team’s national TV payout from $103 million to $143 million this season. The payouts are projected to grow by about 7% annually, putting each franchise on pace for $281 million in TV revenue by the 2034-35 season—a massive leap from the $1.5 million per team earned from national TV just forty years ago.
Team Revenue Rankings and Revenue Sharing
In the 2024-25 season, the 30 NBA franchises generated a combined $12.25 billion in total revenue (approximately $408 million per team), including income from non-NBA events. Revenue varied widely—from $833 million for the Golden State Warriors to $301 million for the Memphis Grizzlies.
This total is net of revenue sharing, which saw around $400 million redistributed from high-revenue clubs to lower-revenue teams, financed partly by luxury tax proceeds.
NBA vs. Other Major Sports Leagues
When compared to other U.S. sports leagues, the NBA’s performance is strong but still trails the NFL’s financial might.
NFL: $22.2 billion
MLB: $12.75 billion
NHL: $7.7 billion
MLS: $2.2 billion
Basketball-Related Income and Salary Cap Impact
The league’s basketball-related income (BRI)—used to determine the salary cap—reached $10.25 billion last season. However, it was affected by weaker local media revenues and the presence of several small-market teams in the conference finals, which lowered postseason ticket sales.
As a result, more than $480 million was returned to teams from the escrow fund that maintains the 51-49 revenue split between players and owners.
NBA Team Valuations Continue to Soar
According to Sportico’s NBA team valuations, the average NBA franchise is now worth $5.51 billion, representing a 20% increase year-over-year and an incredible 113% surge since 2022, when the average was $2.58 billion.
